Seconds before the start of the first "Wing 5" qualifier for the 2006 "Wing Bowl," renowned eater Bill "El Wingador" Simmons hollered one final piece of advice at the contestants: "You're here to eat the wings, not to enjoy them."
Tim "Dr. Slob" Cusice of West Chester College took those words to heart, polishing off 61 chicken wings in 10 minutes to earn a spot in Wing Bowl 14 at the Wachovia Center in February.
Cusice amassed a large cheering section at New Deck Tavern last night, which included his college friends, his mother and Philadelphia Eagles great Hugh Douglas, who helped to emcee the event.
Five "Wing 5" qualifiers take place at bars in the vicinity of various Philadelphia colleges in the months leading up to the annual Wing Bowl, offering the most voracious local students reserved spots in the coveted eating competition.
Three Penn students participated in last night's event, while Drexel sent six. Several competitors also made the trip to West Philadelphia from Temple, Rutgers and West Chester.
"El Wingador," a five-time defending Wing Bowl champion, was on hand to explain the rules and the intricacies of the messy contest. Marc "The Intern" Farzetta, a morning talk show personality from 610 WIP -- the radio station that organized the event -- gave a play-by-play commentary.
The rules of the Wing 5 event are simple. The competitor that eats the most wings in 10 minutes is declared the winner. And, as "El Wingador" said, "If you heave, you leave.
"These qualifiers are only 10 minutes, so you just have to get hungry for them," he said.
"I can eat 50 wings in five minutes."
Yet this particular Wing 5 was a "virgin competition," meaning that none of the eaters had any previous Wing Bowl experience.
Even though Cusice was new to competitive eating before last night, he had spent the last month training for the evening.
"I've gained 23 pounds," Cusice said. "I ate 100 wings on Monday night, an 18-inch pie on Tuesday night, and two pies yesterday."
To improve the strength of his jaw, Cusice chewed several frozen tootsie rolls each day in the weeks leading up to the event.
Before the competition, the recently retired Douglas predicted that Cusice would win the competition.
"'Dr. Slob' is my man," Douglas said.
The three-time Pro Bowler acted as Cuscice's most raucous supporter throughout the competition, though he considers himself to be a "slow eater."
While "El Wingador" -- who expected the winner to eat only 50 wings -- was impressed with Cuscice's performance, he stressed that the actual Wing Bowl is much more of an endurance test.
Indeed, the main event at the Wachovia Center is a three-round, 30-minute contest, requiring competitors to pace themselves more carefully. "El Wingador" can devour 164 wings in the 30-minute period.
The Penn students' approach to the competition differed from Cuscice's. Five-foot-seven-inch, 130-pound Wharton senior Eng Taing prepared by studying for his exams yesterday for 25 hours straight.
He concluded, however, that instead of being hungry, he was "more tired than anything else."
Brandon Burkett of Drexel managed to finish 46 wings, earning him second place.
"It's a lot harder than I thought it would be," Burkett said. "You're eating so fast that it's just ridiculous."
In order for a wing to be considered "finished," 90 percent of the meat must be picked clean from the bone. Therefore, some competitors took bites from more wings than the number that they officially ate.
With two months to prepare for Wing Bowl 14, Cusice seemed confident about his chances to capture the grand prize -- a new car.
"Look out," Cusice said. "I'll be ready."
The real question is whether he'll be able to fit in the car after he wins it.
